connective N1 uncommon writtenpolite
〜ようが〜まいが — whether or not ~
〜ようが〜まいが ・ ようがまいが
Builds on 意向形
Meaning
- whether ~ or not ~ — pairs a verb's affirmative and negative to say the outcome is the same either way
Key sentence
雨が降ろうが降るまいが、試合は行われる。
Whether it rains or not, the match will be held.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (volitional, then the same verb + まい) | V-volitional + が + 同じ動詞 + まい + が. する→しようがするまい(が); 来る→来ようが来るまい(が) | 食べようが食べまいが / 行こうが行くまいが |
When: Emphatic/written; everyday speech uses 〜ても〜なくても.
Variants
〜ようと〜まいと — Same meaning; the と-version, equally common.
Examples
君が信じようが信じまいが、これは事実だ。
Whether you believe it or not, this is a fact.
参加しようがしまいが、それは君の自由だ。
Whether you take part or not, that's up to you.
When you can't use it
- The same verb is repeated — affirmative volitional, then its negative まい. Pairing two *different* verbs is a different ('A or B') structure, not this one.
Easily confused with
〜ようとも ようとも is a single, intensified 'even if / no matter how'; ようがまいが spells out the explicit do-or-don't binary. 〜だろうが だろうが concedes a *noun/state* could be anything; ようがまいが pivots on a *verb's* doing or not doing. 〜ても ても〜なくても is the everyday spoken equivalent ('even if ~, even if not'); ようがまいが is its formal/literary compression.
See 〜ようが〜まいが in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ようが〜まいが the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.